Comparable components are known from DE 699 00 189 T4. The welding system shown here comprises a control and/or regulating device and a source for the welding current, which source is composed of a power controller and a welding transformer. The welding gun is connected to the welding transformer and the welding electrodes of the gun are pressed against the metal sheets to be welded. In this case, the welding voltage is recorded using the first measuring line which leads to the control and/or regulating device. The welding current is measured using a Rogowski belt which is likewise connected to the control and/or regulating device via a second measuring line. A third and a fourth measuring line for the electrode force and the electrode travel are likewise required. An EEPROM is additionally fastened to the welding gun and forms the local data memory for the control and/or regulating parameters, in particular the reference values and reference curve profiles specific to the welding gun. The EEPROM is also connected to the control and/or regulating device via a further, fifth data line. For this purpose, a connector is arranged at the end of the cable and is inserted into a socket on the control and/or regulating device.
As can be gathered from the statements above, the memory (EEPROM) is connected to the control and/or regulating device by means of a data line which must be inserted into the control and/or regulating device. This is a proprietary solution because the data are stored and processed in manufacturer-specific data formats and because the data line has a manufacturer-specific configuration. This has the disadvantage that the data line, the data formats and the plug-in connections cannot be universally used inside welding systems from different manufacturers. Therefore, it is not possible to interchange data across different manufacturers and manufacturer-specific hardware and/or software is/are needed to read the data from the data memory. This hardware and/or software must be purchased by the customer.